LVT is H-O-T: The Next Step for Luxury Vinyl Tile

Few flooring materials have stormed the industry rapid like luxury vinyl tile. At home in commercial as well as residential settings, LVT is expanding options for designers and specifiers.

As a relatively newcomer to the floor covering scene, LVT is the fastest growing category in flooring – it’s popular across a wide variety of commercial segments, from healthcare to retail, from corporate to education and high education, and even hospitality. This interest has been driven first by styling and the opportunity for new looks, whether it’s a look inspired by natural materials, textiles or abstract concepts.

Interest has only grown as designers and facilities managers have discovered LVT’s quality, durability, superior performance, low maintenance, lower lifecycle cost, and ease of installation, including Mannington’s LockSolid glueless locking system. Residentially, LVT has enjoyed strong double-digit growth, even throughout these past few economically challenging years. Like the commercial segment, consumers are drawn to LVT for its incredibly realistic designs, ease of maintenance, superior performance characteristics and installation options.

LVT’s popularity can be attributed to the same elements that made laminate successful such as appeal to the DIY market: its modular composition and realistic visuals. Where LVT eclipses laminate is in durability and flexibility. Because LVT’s composition includes PVC, the product is much more resistant to damages in addition to being water and scratch resistant. Plus, improved embossed techniques give LVT a much more realistic look than laminate.

In commercial, the same general trends are happening in LVT as in other hard surfaces. Wider, more rustic woods with character are important as are exotic woods. Reclaimed woods in a variety of widths give the space a feeling of authenticity. Grays continue to be important in addition to the established warm yellow and red based hues. In stones, it’s about larger formats in squares as well as offset rectangular designs. Realism in stone comes from patina and irregularity. Colors are complex neutrals that work with cool metals but have a hint of inner warmth. LVT build momentum in gaining market share through a realistic mimicking of wood, stone and other natural materials. Rather than replicating natural materials, manufacturers are using new technologies to give a textile-like texture, and modular shapes – circles, diamonds and squares – that provide truly customizable installations and patterns.

Today’s LVT products are being inspired by the beauty of raindrops on glass, of linens, and much more. Also very popular are the variety to treatments that include beveled, grouted, spare, tumbled and sculpted.

Mannington has launched Intaglio, the first sculpted LVT. They’ve also recently launched travertine, and slate decors that resemble the original looks of stone, and their hottest look of the year is High Definition Carpet Tile. Customers thought that they were getting into the carpet tile business at first, until they felt it. You cannot tell the tiles are vinyl! The high definition decor show the fibers of the yarn, twists of the fiber and surface texture that mimic a tufted carpet tile.

Here are a few key reasons to consider LVT for your next project:

  • Ease of installation.
  • A wide variety of aesthetics, without any compromise of performance
  • Green properties (LEED Credits)
  • Durability
  • Ease of installation and maintenance
  • Design flexibility through modular sizes and shapes

FROM THE PRO: Advice for designing a low-maintenance, family-friendly kitchen

Put your materials to the test. Take a sample of whatever countertop material you’re considering, and squeeze a lemon on it, spill some red wine, or dribble olive oil. Absorbent stones such as marble and limestone will stain, unlike a quartz like Cambria.

Stay away from leather. This goes for banquettes and barstools, which, like marble, will show every stain. Faux suedes and leathers (vinyls) have improved markedly in terms of appearance and durability. Indoor/outdoor fabrics, which are solution-dyed and can often be cleaned with bleach, are also very durable and come in a wide range of stylish patterns.

Choose finishes carefully. If you opt for stainless steel appliances, get a brushed finish, which won’t show streaks or fingerprints so easily. As for cabinets, painted finishes have become more durable, especially catalytic lacquers, like those used for painting cars, and you can opt for a low-sheen finish. And if wood gets gouged, it can be sanded down and refinished.

Match flooring to your lifestyle. Porcelain tile floors are the most practical flooring choice, and have come a long way in terms of styles and options. Hard species of wood floors, such as walnut, are also very forgiving, especially if they are hand-hewn, distressed, or reclaimed planks; however, the shinier the floor, the more scratches and dings will show. Designer Billy Beson recommends two coats of high-gloss polyurethane for a strong, hard finish, and then the final coat in a matte finish to reduce the sheen.